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Using the “N” word

Hearing someone use the “N” word can be very disconcerting. It is not the word itself, but how it is used that causes us to be uncomfortable. The first time we hear our own children use the “N” word snaps our head back. Some parents are just shocked the first time they hear it coming out of their own children’s mouths. Toddlers love to use it as they think it empowers them. They use it to establish their individualism and independence. Words express what is in the heart and the “N” word is often first uttered to declare defiance. The word is “No.” Not understanding it quickly sends man from the garden to the Ghetto. Learning to use the “N” word is more important than learning to use the potty. Good parents teach their children both. Children who don’t learn the power and importance of control are always making a mess. A child who accepts and trusts their parent’s “no” finds a happier and healthier life. Reaching for the hot stove causes loving parents to sometimes shout “no.” No is an important word and concept. The ten commandments are criticized by adults still in dirty diapers who never learned the importance and safety in a loving God’s “no.” Each of God’s “no’s” is for our good. Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man.

Racial slurs are hurtful and demeaning. Every race learns racism early in the running. We are taught that some people are naturally lazy, some are dishonest, others are humble or gentle (supposedly). We assign certain character traits to groups of people like some botanist describing the species and genus of a plant. We use awful words and labels that should not be uttered, but the “N” word that causes the most pain is not what everyone thinks it is. Our prisons would be empty if that prisoner had just said “no.” The journey to jail began the first time a child failed to say “no” to what they knew in their heart of hearts was wrong. Learning when to say “no” is half the battle. Legislatures and City Councils have been trying to impose their collective will and reason on people with threats and fines since the first elders sat in the gate. Learning the use and power of “no” must take place in each individual heart and yet the happy life needs more than “no.” Life is a battle of wills. It first manifests itself when the two year old challenges a parent’s wishes and defiantly says “no,” to the loving reigns of restraint. But worse is the first time each little divinely made creature says “no” to God. If I could give one tidbit of advice, one word of warning, or offer a single proverb and fill it with all the wisdom I have learned in my nearly 70 years on this planet it would be. “Never say ‘no’ to God.” That is the worst “N” word man ever uttered. – Ingimar DeRidder